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Applying with a different concept...

Name: Caite (Worn in Gaelic)
Description: Caite rather resembles...well, leather and dirt. Her eyes however...are the color of amber's deepest shadows. (See ref)
Reference Images: (if applicable) Caite ref

Personality: Caite is, in many ways, just as worn as the main colors of her pelt. She speaks slowly and thoughtfully, walks as if one with the earth, and her expressions reach even the depths of her eyes, as if worn into her face through years of use. But when the time calls for it, Caite's speed can catch any who don't know her off guard. For when she is protecting, or hunting, her mind is in a different place...a place where her worn mannerisms have no place and speed and strength and quick thinking are queens.
Caite has little use for males. She saw good ones and bad, but they all had one thing in common: somehow, in some way, they slipped up and did something wrong. She let only one male grow close to her and...well, she says he vanished, as gods are wont to do. Whether or not he was truly a god, Caite will not say...if she knows. Males do not get an automatic violent reaction from her, but they are viewed with suspicion and cold calculation. And the moment they seem to be violent or troublemaking...they find her claws and teeth aren't just for show.
History: Caite remembers very little before adolescence. She remembers the warmth of a mother, feathers and safety. And then...fire. The sort of fire she learned was attributed with the terrible grass-fires. She remembers running...and then things are blank until her first heat. That's when the events that shaped who she is started to happen.
As a rogue, she traveled a great many places...from the northern beginnings of the Nile to the southern tip of the continent. She does not know how long she has been traveling, per say...but it has been many, many moons. And in her journeys, she met a great lion that claimed he was a god. She ignored him, for a time, just traveling and observing the things around her. But as time wore on, she came to accept his presence and strength. Sometimes he vanished for days...and it was during those times she truly noticed how females were often treated...and that even the sweetest of males could do wrong...could hurt the one they loved.
And every time her companion Garrán returned, she prayed he was not one of them. But one morning, she woke and he was gone...white feathers left in the place he had slept. She gathered the feathers, and continued on her journeys. It was not the first time he'd done such a thing. But as days turned to weeks, she realized he had left for good this time. Her heart broke, and for the first time in her life, she began a search. Not for him, but for a place where no males resided...where she needn't worry about such hurt again.

Name: Safimaua (Pure Flower in Swahili)
Description: See reference. Predominantly black coat. Black hair tuft and tail with white streaks. On each ear should be a white stripe, then a red one above it. White shoulder marking (think tribal-ish) and hind marking, with a deep red wing-outline over the top (looking much more wing-like than in my bad reference). Red spots by each of her eyes, and red on her front paws, with white marking on her back foot. Feel free to take some artistic license with the markings since my concept's so bad - think tribalish.. Blue eyes and pink nose.
Reference Images: (if applicable) bad concept

Personality: Safi's a female of the strong, silent type, shaped that way thanks to her father. She doesn't speak often, only when it's necessary, and it wouldn't be too surprising if some lionness' in the pride believed her to be mute. Safi will do any task given to her without hesitation or complaint, and will have it finished in record time. Despite being a rather petite lionness, she makes up for it with solid, strong limbs and a sharp mind. Problems are sorted through in a logical way, and solved in good time. Safimaua is a somewhat emotionless lionness, having had most of her emotions beaten out of her as a child, leading her to be the way she is today - cold, silent and obedient. Slowly, however, thanks to the loving, caring environment of the Antiameira she's beginning to regain her emotions, and smiles are becoming more common. Her view on males is pitiful, seeing them as a clearly weaker species that don't deserve to walk on the same earth as she and the other lionness'.
History: Safimaua had a tragic start in life, being the single cub born to the lionness Thruthi and a lion, Kirazna, with whom her mother had had a fling. Tragedy struck when as Safinaua took her first breath, her mother took her last, the stress of childbirth being too much for her aging heart and silencing it, sending her on to a better place. Kiranza, horrified by the death this cub had caused, made to leave, planning on leaving Safimaua to die alone in the savannah. However, the cubs cries for milk soon brought him back, a twisted idea forming in his mind. He'd never been a kind lion, lonliness having twisted his thoughts, leading him to his first evil deed - impregnating Safimaua's mother. And from there, things just got worse.

For the first few weeks, whilst she was still learning to walk and learning about her environment, he was a doting father. He could've fooled anyone, and he certainly did his daughter, making her believe life was a fairytale, and that her Papa was the best in the world. It was a few weeks after she'd started following her father, though, that the beatings began. At first he had a reason for them - perhaps she'd played with another cub, or smiled at a stranger. But as the days moved into weeks, and some wounds healed and others were opened, the reasons vanished. He just beat her because he felt like it. Safimaua soon learnt not to show emotion at all, for even the slightest frown or crease of her eyebrows could set him off. Weeks turned to months, and she was still unable to escape her father - Safi had convinced herself that the reason for the pain was because he loved her.

The lionness grew larger as time passed, and it became clear that although she took after her mother in her looks, she had inherited her father's strong build. It was as she was just turning to an adolescent that the incident happened. It was like any other evening - she'd just been out hunting, and had managed to secure a large catch. A juvenile waterbuck, her largest catch so far. However, her father was in a bad mood, and the almost daily beatings began. He swiped at her, sharp claws scraping across her shoulder, drawing blood. And something snapped in the female - she didn't know how, and she didn't know why, but anger boiled up in her blood, and she leapt forwards, slashing her own claws across her father's face. The lion roared in pain, blinded momentarily by the blood, before he himself leapt forwards. He pinned her down, swiping blindly as he forced himself upon his own daughter, just as he had done to her mother. He left a sobbing Safimaua alone, claiming he was done with her as he made off into the savannah.

It wasn't until a few weeks later that she realized she was pregnant. Horrified, the adolescent sought shelter, but was unable to find any. Seeing her swollen belly, most prides turned her away, not wanting to deal with any extra cubs running around. She shied away from rogue males she met, any confidence she had erased. It was just as she was beginning to lose hope that she found the Antianeira, and they willingly took her in. She was given a den, and remained in it for several days, afraid to leave. She sobbed and she sobbed, and during this time she gave birth to a single female cub - just like her mother had before her. However, in a cruel twist of fate, the cub's life was snatched from her before she was even able to name it.

Since then, Safimaua's grown and matured into the lionness she is today. She's undyingly grateful to the Antianeira, and because of this has an unbreakable loyalty to the pride. Her views of males are pitiful thanks to her father, and as such she fits confidently into the pride, Although she still hasn't quite recovered enough to find herself a mate. Only time will tell if she ever fully heals, and regains her emotions.

ooc|| she'll have been a young adult when she joined, and i'd be more than happy to do a backtrack rp for this ;3

Name: Goba (“Conclude”)
Description: See reference. Green coat with white Aztec like markings and blue eyes. Her nose is brown and her mane and tail tufts are white like her other markings. (If you'd rather her pelt was red with white markings, I wouldn't mind making that change.)
Reference Images: Goba

Personality: Underneath Goba’s cagey exterior beats the heart of a frightened cub. Once playful, trusting and affectionate, she has grown to be suspicious of others and rarely trusts what she hears from anyone. Now her only chance for survival now lies with the Antianeira; even though she has never trained as a warrior, let alone raised a paw against her fellow beasts, she is now changing her ways for her own safety and the safety of her future cubs. Although she tries to impersonate a warrior to fit in with the pride she is genuinely interested in learning to fight. She understands that she must wander from the pride to have cubs one day and that by doing this she is putting herself in danger of being found by her pride. To Goba, becoming a warrior is the most important thing in the world. Due to the unjust actions of her pride, her belief in the prophecy of Shujaa’ras has waned. She has no interest in fulfilling this prophecy. Should she ever have a son, she will treat him no differently than the other male cubs in Antianeira. Goba is best described as determined and loving.
History: Goba is a prophesized lioness, destined to give birth to a great and powerful male known as Shujaa’ras (“Champion King”) who would lead her secluded pride to take total control of the jungle. She was born in a pride that put emphasis on coat markings and believed they had special meanings. They were a small pride, but one that was said to have been around for a long time. When the elder males saw Goba’s markings they immediately took her into seclusion, separating Goba from her sisters and mother and placing her in the care of an older female, Nkiru, to ensure that she was pampered and grew up strong.

Goba once had faint memories of her mother. With Nkiru doting on her every need these memories were soon lost. She came to think of Nkiru as her mother and Nkiru, now infertile, delighted in her new daughter. They were utterly inseparable. As a cub Goba was the happiest lioness in the world. She had everything she ever wanted; a doting mother, the security of her pride, and the protection and affection of all the pride’s males, some of which she thought of like fathers. Everything was about to change.

As she neared adolescence the males of the pride began to fight over who would have the right to mate with her. Nkiru became extremely protective of Goba, often trying to seclude her from the rest of the pride. Under the suspicion that Nkiru would try to take Goba away from the pride the males imprisoned the two females in a cave, keeping them under constant supervision.

Finally the fighting died down and a mate was chosen for Goba, based upon his markings and physical strength. The lion’s name was Jelani. Nkiru wisely kept her horror over this decision to herself until they were alone. She explained to Goba that the mate the pride had chosen was Goba’s own brother, whom she had not seen since birth. At first Goba refused to believe the pride would do such a thing, insisting that she did not even have a brother (whether the pride came to this decision deliberately or simply forgot which mother Goba came from is unclear), until Nkiru explained. Although the thought of marrying her own brother disgusted the young lioness, there was nothing either of them could do.

Goba remained quiet during the marriage ceremony, only speaking when necessary. After the ceremony Jelani took Goba to a secluded place. To her surprise Jelani seemed to be a kind, soft spoken male, although his physical strength was also impressive, and even more astonishingly, he knew about their relationship as siblings and did not see it as a problem. “The Prophecy states that Shujaa’ras will be more powerful than any lion who ever lived, so why should bloodlines matter?” Goba insisted that it was still wrong and that the health of all her cubs was important to her, but Jelani argued that Shujaa’ras was clearly more important and insisted that, in time, Goba would come to see things his way.

Unfortunately for Jelani, his conviction that Goba would inevitably come to her senses proved to be his downfall. Goba was able to make an easy escape while Jelani slept. Now the pride is hot on her trail. She knows that if she is ever found her pride will punish her severely for her treachery and force her to have inbred cubs with her insane brother Jelani. Her only chance for a future now lies with the Antianeira. She is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the safety and health of her future cubs, even impersonate a warrior.

Name:
Babu (Her original name is lost to her, purposefully forgotten. This one, with irony, means Old Man. I’m using it to imply ‘old male’, since they’re lions, but it’s the same concept and the name itself is actually very respectful.)

Description:
I’d imagine Babu to be of very natural colors, whites and light browns or grays or yellows in various shades. She’s an older lioness, so her colors might even be flecked with gray. This is a character all about exploration of self, and capable of many surprises... maybe it's fitting I don't know what she looks like yet? -cough cop out cough-

Reference Images:
None yet… I’m not too great at designing for myself, but if I can get to my lappy before this afternoon I’ll try to come up with something! I don’t have any access to it right now, though…

Personality:
Babu is a stalwart lioness with an eye for detail and order. She likes to see things running smoothly, and it is difficult to get her to have some fun. At her age she feels it’s not common for her to be playful or to shrug off her duties to the pride. In her mind her time for the frivolity of youth has passed. Ironically she is not as old as she makes herself appear, her attitude and gait adding years to an otherwise middle aged frame. Worn from care and what can only be called grit determination, the very quirky lioness likes playing to her namesake.

She is one of those surprising sweet hearts. The kind that can be mercilessly rude and quick to yell, like an old-school teacher or a grumpy old lady sitting on her front porch. She yells at children a lot and can often be seen chasing them around when she thinks there are lessons to be learned. As such she is feared among the younger cubs, in the same way that the cold-eyed Principal of a school might be feared. She isn’t above giving an unruly child a good swat, but she never harms them for longer than it takes for the sting to subside.

Where’d that ‘sweet heart’ stuff previously mentioned get to? Well, Babu is known to do randomly benevolent things. She gives of herself freely, whenever there is need of it. If someone needs a place to stay, she offers her den. If a child is lost or crying for some reason she, in her towering, intimidating tones and body language, does what she can to help them. She will give her food to travelers or other members of her pride that need it more than her, and will gladly defend her pride members, friends or not, in verbal or physical fights.

She would be absolutely dedicated to her sisters, despite the fact that she is very difficult to make friends with. Her rude, cynical behavior is offputting, and yet she is as loyal as they come. She loves all her sisters equally, and mourns losses and celebrates gains for every member as if they were her own. She just does it privately, so no one can see her being ‘human’, or whatever the lion equivalent of that phrase is. She does not feel like she could do anyone any good, so she keeps her love universal. Besides, a lot of kids these days do things she doesn’t approve of, and no one would want to love a clinically cynical old woman. She would have a hard time adjusting to this new life, and the new concepts of love she would be exposed to. In fact, she might be a bit insulting and condescending at first which, I’m sure, would quite charming for the other members of the pride. –cough-

As stated through out, she does not hate males... or even dislike them. Despite her history, she is actually impressed by them and quick to have crushes. She is surprised by her own openness to love and relationships, because she is so strict, regulated and old-fashioned in almost every other aspect of her life. Yet where love is concerned she's open to just about anything, even open to the idea of games and other might-be-taboo things. She has her limits, of course, but she keeps them private and might surprise her prospective mates with these odd rules at any time. Just to keep things interesting. Of course, all of this is very personal to her, so she's not likely to talk about it in open conversation or without some considerable probing. On the other hand, she might impulsively -show- this side of her if she's come to trust or love someone.

History:
She lived in a happy home through her childhood, not aware of how broken it really was until she was an adolescent. Then her mother shared with her the story of how they were born, and why there was no male head of the family to speak of. As an adolescent in her own time, Babu’s mother was dominated by a male who lived by the very old ways of the land. It was not cruel or violent, but there was no love in his attachment to her. In her pride they lived the old lion’s way: mating was done constantly over a period, by a number of males and females. There were no true bonds of love or any concept of marriage. She had just been particularly young, and when half her litter died she had a hard time keeping up with the pride. Eventually she left, taking her daughter and son with her.

When her cubs heard this, the son ventured out to find their father, or at least the pride where he lived, and Babu begrudgingly went along, just to keep him safe. When they found him they learned he was the head of the pride, his marks matching theirs so closely that it was impossible for them to think it could be any other. They were not welcomed in the pride, however, and they were attacked like outsiders. Her brother was killed by her father, and she fled with a serious leg injury. She limped home and told her mother what happened. Already a sickly lioness, the grief put her into an illness of sorrow that she did not recover from. Babu aged a great deal in those short weeks of caring for her ailing mother, until they were finally parted by her passing.

Babu did not hold any hate toward males, not even her father, but she knew she could not live in a world where such things happened. She walks with a limp, and always will, carrying her weight on her paws and shoulders. She traveled aimlessly, until a couple of cubs crossed her path and she yelled at them for being rude. She wanted to teach them, even in a fleeting moment, to be respectful of life. They, of course, knew nothing about her past and just thought she was a crotchety old lioness that was yelling at them for no reason. They called her an old male and ran away. This name, even this persona, she adopted for herself, and her past was forcibly forgotten to her. Not the kind of forgotten that stays away forever, but the kind where she tricked herself into thinking she was past it all.
So she found the Antianeira lands and was glad for it. She is an obnoxious, rude lioness who didn’t learn any manners in her growing up as far as social interactions go, and yet she’s passionate and actually quite romantic. She’s lonely for any kind of connection, since she’s so good at keeping people at bay, and her mind is often times filled with visions of males and females, of love and families. Anyone that interrupts her from these embarrassing, but selfishly adored, fantasies is in for a stern talking-to, though.

Likely to become the resident spinster, she would watch her sisters with slightly envious eyes, though her heart is filled with longing. She wants a family, little girls to watch grow. She wants a mate, a female she can trust her thoughts to, instead of keeping them all to herself. And she even wants a male, to love in her own way and to make a family with. She doesn’t hate males at all and, in fact, can be quick to form a crush on them. She’s just no good at making herself a ‘mate-able’ example of their feline race. She’s strikingly old-fashioned, which makes it strange for her, on a personal level, find her eyes drawn to females.

Second custom run is now over! I'll think over who would fit best in the pride and let you all know soon.

After much careful reading and thinking (and the roll of a die when it came down to three), I've decided to choose Cajanic!

^_^ Thanks everyone for participating.

If you made up the entry just for the contest and don't plan on questing for this lioness, please remove your entry. If you are serious, leave it up and you never know. An opportunity just might come up again for another custom lioness!